Bottle-capping machine



C. B. MELCHIOR.

BOTTLE CAPPING MACHINE.

APPLICATION HLED AUG.25, I939.

Patented Jan. 11, 1921.

pl/IIIIFII) UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

CLAUDE B. MELCHIOB, OI DES IOINES, IOWA, ASSIGNOR T0 LIQUI1) MALTED MILKCOMPANY, OF CEDAR RAPIDS, IOWA, A CORPORATION OF IOWA.

BOTTLE-CAPPING MACHINE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Jan. 11, 1921.

T 0 all whom it may oncern:

Be it knownthat I, CLAUDE B. Manomoa, a citizen of the United States,and a resident of Des Moines, in the county of Polk and State of Iowa,have invented a certain new and useful Bottle-Capping Machine, of whichthe following is a specification.

The object of my invention is to rovide a bottle capping machine ofsimple, urable and inexpensive construction.

A further object of my invention is to rovide means for fixing the ty eof caps Enown as crown caps toa botte in order to seal the bottle.

A further object of my invention 1s to provide a device of theclass'mentloned, wherein the movement of the crown engaging device mayalways be in lines parallel to the longitudinal axis of the bottle inorder to minimize danger of breaking the bottles.

A further object of my invention is to rovide such a device adapted tobe actuated g a hand lever, which attains its maximum e ectiveness, whenit is moved to substantially a horizontal position and to provide inconnection with such a lever, means for adjusting the relative verticalposition of the cap engaging member, whereby the cap engaging member maybe in position to seal bottles of various sizes and heights when thelever is in horizontal osition.

A further ob'ect o my invention is to provide a plat one having asupporting member extendin upward with a rack bar formed on t e su portmmember, a sliding member adapte to sli e on the supporting member, alever pivoted in said sliding member and havin teeth formed thereonwhereby rotation o the lever may cause the teeth of the lever to engagethe rack'bar to reci rocate the sliding member and means for isengaginsaid teeth from the rack bar, sothat the. p ace at which the teethengage the rack bar may be "varied.

With these and other objects in view my invention consists in theconstruction, arrangement and combination of the various parts of thedevice, whereby the ob'ects contemplated are attained, as he'reina termore f lly set forth, inted out in my claims and illustrated in t eaccompanying drawings, in which:

Figure 1 shows a side elevation of my improved device.

Fig. 2 shows a similar view, illustrating the possibilities of adjustingthe device for different sized bottles.

Fig. 3 shows an end elevation of the device.

Fig. 4 shows an enlarged, detail, sectional view illustrating the mannerin which the height of the bottle capper may be varied.

1g. 5 shows an enlar ed, detailed, sectional view taken on the line 5-5of Fig. 6.

Fig. 6 shows a top or plan view of the device.

Fig. 7 shows an elevation of the rack bar to illustrate the manner offorming the teeth; and

I Fig. 8 shows an enlarged, detail, sectlonal view illustratin themanner in which the cap ing device is xed to the stand upon which t ebottle rests.

Referring to the accompanying drawings, I have use the reference numeral10 to indzcate generally a base, which may be formed from wood.Extending upwardly from position adjacent to one end of the base 10 is acasting comprising a clevis havng vertical members 11 and 12,terminating in a yoke 13, from which a rack bar 14 extends upwardly.

The forward edges of the rack bar has teeth 15 formed thereon. Themembers 11 and 12 are connected together at their lower ends by atransverse bar 16, which has its central portion .ofl'set at 17 to formshoulders. A oove is formed in the board or base 10 a apted to receivethe transverse bar 16 and to engage the surfaces thereof, whereby whenbolts 18 are extended through the bars 16 and the base 10, the coactionof the bolts and the surfaces of the grooves and the bar 16 will" holdthe members 11 and 12 ina vertical position.

It will be seen that the shaping of the groove to fit the upper surfacesand side edges of the bar 16 makes it unnecessar to provide additionalsupports to hold t ese parts in substantially vertical positions.

Mounted on the rack bar 14 is a castin adapted to slide up and down onthe racE bar and to pivotallv support a lever 19. This castin which Ihave designated generally b t e letter A comprises spaced side wal s 20,which engage the sides of the rack bar 14. Transverse back members 21are spaced vertically from each other and engage the rear edge of therack bar 14.

Spaced front members 22 and 23 connect the members 20 in front of therack bar 14. One side wall 20 is extended forwardly as at 20 andpivotally supports a pin 24. The other side wall member 20 is extendedforward and the upper part thereof is offset at 20 to form a ocket.

Adjacent to t e central portion of the pocket, the opposite end of thepin 24 is supported. The transverse front member 23 is extended forwardand forms a bottle capping member B at the lower end of the casting A.Pivotally supported on the pin 24 is a hand lever 19, which has asegmental gear 25 formed on its inner end and adapted to engage theteeth 15 of the rack bar 14, so that rotation of the lever 19 will causevertical reciprocation of the casting A relative to the rack bar 14 andthe base 10.

From the construction of the parts just described, it will be seen thatif a bottle C be placed on the base 10 ad'acent to the arms 11 and 12and a cap, in icated by the dotted lines at 26, be placed upon thebottle, the rotation of the lever 19 Wlll cause vertical reciprocationof the casing A thereby bringing the sealing recess B into contact withthe cap 26 andsealing the latter to the neck of the bottle.

Referring to Fig. 1, it will be seen that when the lever 19 IS inhorizontal position, then a downward pressure on the end of the leverwill exert a maximum pressure against the sealing recess B, so that itis desirable that means be provided to have the parts in position withthe lever 19 horizontal when the sealing recess B is accomplishing thesealing of the cap to the bottle.

Bottles, however, are of different heights and sizes so that means mustbe provided for adjusting the distance of the casting A from the latform10 in order to accommodate di erent sized bottles. I accomplish thisresult by the following means. The offset portion 20" of the casting Ais of suflicient size to permit the segmental gear 25 to be slidlaterally upon the pin 24 when the lever 19 is in substantiallhorizontal position. This is accomplis ed by forming the bottom web 27of the pocket or ofiset portion 20 of such a height that it will coactwith the flattened side 28 of the segmental gear to ermit the latter tobe moved laterally on y when the lever is in substantially horizontalposition.

When the segmental gear is moved into the pocket as mentioned, it willbe seen that the casting A may be moved freely up and down the rack bar14 and the segments gear 25 may again slide laterally into engagementwith the teeth 15 when t e casting A is in such position that the recess13 is alined horizontally with the top of the neck of the bottle, whichis to be sealed.

It will thus be seen that the shoulder 27 and flattened side 28 renderit easy for the operator to determine the pro er position for thecasting A, as if the ottle to be sealed be placed beneath or adjacent tothe casting, then the casting may be moved to position with the recess Balined horizontally with the top of the neck of the bottle, and thelever 19 must be in horizontal p0sition on account of the shoulder 27and flattened portion 28, when the segmental gear is moved back intoengagement with the teeth 15. These parts also make it impossible forthe segmental gear to slide out of engagement with the neck, except whenthe lever is in horizontal position.

In order to obviate danger of the latter situation, the teeth 15 aretapered, so that they become smaller on the side ppposite the pocket20'. as is illustrated in Fig.7 The teeth on the segmental geali 25 aretapered in the opposite direction, so that movement of i the segmentalgear on the rack bar ordinarily tends to throw the rack bar against thewall 20' and thereby prevents the segmental gear from being accidentallthrown out of engagement with the rac bar.

In this connection, attention is drawn to the fact that the tapering ofthe teeth mentioned amounts to a proximately :1 onehundredth of an inchor each tooth, so that l have not attem ted to illustrate this taperingin the drawings, except in Fig. 7, and in that figure. inclination ofthe teeth has been greatly exaggerated in order to bring out theprinciple of the construction.

An advantage of my improved device resides in the fact that it may beadjusted with a ,minimum amount of effort to seal bottles of variousheights when the operating lever is in position to exert a maximumpressure upon the sealing recess.

A further advantage of my invention resides in the verticalreciprocation of the casting A, whereby a straight downward force isexerted on the bottle, thereby minimizing danger of breaking thebottles. I

Some changes may be made in the construction and arrangement of theparts of my improved device. without departing from the essentialfeatures and purposes of my invention, and it is m intention to cover bymy claims any modi ed forms of structure or use of mechanicalequivalents, which may be reasonably included within their scope.

I claim as my invention:

1. In a device of the class described, a base. a rack bar securedthereto and extending upwardly therefrom, 'a sliding member mounted onsaid rack bar comprising guides adapted to engage the rack bar. a bottlesealing recess. and an offset portion adapted to form a pocket, and alever pivotally mounted in said sliding member having a segmental gearformed at its inner end adapted to engage the teeth of the rack bar,whereby the Segmental gear may be moved laterally into said pocket andout of engagement with the teeth of the rack bar.

2. In a device of the class described, a base, a rack bar securedthereto and extending upwardly therefrom, a sliding member mounted onsaid rack bar comprising guides adapted to engage the rack bar, a bottleseal ing recess, and an offset portion adapted to form a pocket, and alever pivotally mounted in said sliding member having a segmental gearformed at its inner end adapted to engage the teeth of the rack bar,whereby the segmental gear may be moved readily into said pocket and outof engagement with the teeth of the rack bar, the teeth of said rack barand segmental gear being tapered in opposite directions, whereby theaccidenta] slipping of said segmental gear out of mesh with said rackbar will be prevented.

3. In a device of the class described, a. base, a rack bar securedthereto and extending upwardly therefrom, a sliding member mounted onsaid rack bar comprising guides adapted to engage the liltk bar, abottle sealing recess, and an offset portion adapted to form a pocket,and a lever pivotally mounted in said sliding member having a segmentalgear formed at its inner end adapted to engage the teeth of the Itlt'kbar, whereby the segmental gear may be moved laterally into said pocketaml'ont of engagement with the teeth of the rack bar, the parts being soarran d that the segmental gear may be movet into the pocket only whenthe lever is in a redetermined osition.

Des oines, Iowa, ngust 11, 1919.

CLAUDE B. MELCHIOB'

